


The Focal Point

by Northern_Lady



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Empathy, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Mutant Powers, One Shot, Racism, past child neglect/abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-14 03:15:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14761557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northern_Lady/pseuds/Northern_Lady
Summary: This short one shot takes place in an alternate universe, Post Ragnarok, where Infinity War does not happen and the Asgardian ship reaches earth. Once there, Thor finds that Loki has a half human daughter resulting from an earlier visit to earth.  Lots of family fluff because those are my favorite fluffs.





	The Focal Point

Loki sat next to her bed while she slept. He sat in an exhausted crumpled heap on the floor but no matter his level of exhaustion, he would not leave the dark haired girl’s bedside. She was bruised and she was broken and more than that, he had spent too long not being a part of her life. He would not abandon her now or allow her to wake up alone and afraid. 

Ever since the moment that Thor had brought her to him that morning, Loki had felt a connection to her. Thor had carried her into Loki’s room on the ship, wrapped in a blanket and barely conscious. 

“Who is this?” Loki had asked his brother as he placed the girl on Loki’s bed. Then he noticed that the child had a bruised cheek and was bleeding from her stomach. “Is she alright?” 

Thor unwrapped the blanket around the girl, revealing her dark hair and half open green eyes. “I have sent for a healer but I think she needs help right away. Use your healing magic on her.” 

Loki had done what he could to stop her bleeding and heal her wound until the healer arrived. He had put his hand on the wound on her belly and tried to focus on healing it. His healing magic was limited but it was enough to help. She was a skinny scrawny girl, whoever she was. Then the healing woman arrived and he had taken a step back and turned to his brother. “Who is she?” 

“Her name is Tess Black. I spoke to someone at SHIELD today who told me that one of their agents had been monitoring her from a distance for a few years now. They monitored her because she is only half human. Her mother was a mutant named Sylvia Black. Her father was a frost giant,” Thor had explained. 

Stunned, Loki had taken a second look. He had known Sylvia Black some twelve years ago. Mother had sent him to Midgard for an herb she needed in a potion and Loki had done his best to charm botanist Sylvia Black into helping him find it. Looking at the girl on his bed, there was no doubt that she was his daughter. She did not have the blonde hair and blue eyes of her mother.Tess looked very similar to him. She was his daughter and she was gravely injured. 

“What happened to her?” Loki asked, more distressed than the previous two times. 

“She has magical abilities but they aren’t always within her control. Humans are not very understanding of that. Last night she was reported missing by her Aunt Heidi who is her guardian. The SHIELD agent who had been monitoring Tess went looking for her and found her this morning, surrounded by a group of locals who had tied her up and were tormenting her. The agent called for backup and I offered to go get her myself. I brought her straight here.” 

Loki had been overcome with emotion at that point. He couldn’t speak. All he could do was look at this scrawny kid who had been injured by a group of pathetic humans, and for what? For having magic? For being alien? And what if she woke up and believed that her father had abandoned her just as Laufey had abandoned him? Would she ever forgive him? 

“Loki?” Thor had said, placing a hand on his shoulder and breaking the silence. 

“I knew Sylvia Black,” Loki finally found his voice. “There is no doubt that Tess…” 

“I know,” Thor gripped Loki’s shoulder a little more firmly. “That is why I brought her to you. Tess has been living with an Aunt who dislikes her obligation to care for her niece. She isn’t wanted in her own home. I knew you would not feel the same about Tess as her aunt does.” 

“Not wanted…?” Loki choked out the question. Being unwanted was a feeling he understood all too well. “What happened to Sylvia, her mother?” 

“She died when Tess was three years old,” Thor said. “Sylvia’s sister Heidi took in Tess and did so rather unwillingly. Heidi was more than happy to hand the girl over to me before the SHIELD agent had even located her.

“Will she be alright?” Loki asked the healing woman who had nearly finished administering her bandages and medicines. 

The woman nodded. “She will have some pain for a while after she wakes up but she’s going to heal and be fine eventually.” 

“I can not stay long,” Thor told Loki once the healing woman had left them alone. “I have several meetings to attend to today. You will be able to explain to her what has happened when she wakes up?” 

“Of course,” Loki had agreed. Thor had left him alone and Loki had not left her bedside ever since. He had not left his room for hours. 

Loki stayed awake late into the night but did eventually drift off to sleep on the floor. 

“Where am I?” Tess voice woke Loki from his fitful sleep. 

“You’re on a ship, a spaceship,” Loki told her as he got to his feet and moved a chair to the bedside to sit in.

She struggled to sit up, gave a whimper of pain and laid back down again. “How did I get here?” 

“You have heard of the Avengers? Of Thor? This is his ship. He brought you here.” 

“They told me Thor was my Uncle...so are you…?” Tess seemed unsure how to finish the question but Loki knew what she wanted to ask. 

“Yes. I am Loki. And if they told you I am your father, they spoke the truth,” Loki told her and then waited to see how she would react to this news. 

Her features registered confusion. “But… why am I here? Am I going back to Aunt Heidi or…?” 

“You’re not a prisoner. If you would like to leave, to visit your Aunt perhaps that could be arranged but I would like it if you could stay here,” he decided against telling her that her Aunt had handed her over to Thor without a second thought. 

Tess thought about that a moment then sighed. “Aunt Heidi threw me out didn't she?” 

Almost against his will, Loki nodded. “She handed over custody to Thor so he could bring you to me.” 

Tess said nothing, she remained calm as she thought about what Loki said. “She never wanted me there anyways. She said so almost every day. If you don't want me here either just tell me now and get it over with…. I’ll just leave. There’s this Catholic school that takes unwanted kids. I’ll go there and you don't have to be bothered with me...I wouldn't even mind going there. They want kids there...not because they like kids but because they like to teach them religion... but I don't even care about that...I can learn whatever they want to teach me as long as they don't throw me out…” Tess started to cry as she rambled on and on about how she could be a nun when she grew up and it would be worth giving her life to God if she always could have food and a place to belong. 

Loki reached over and took her hand. “Tess...I do want you here.” 

Her rambling came to an end and her eyes met his, green tear filled eyes gazing back at him. “Really?” 

“Yes really,” he told her sincerely. “I didn't know before today that I had a daughter. Now that I know it, I do want you here. I want to know you and I plan to see to it that you are educated and cared for and that no one ever harms you again.” 

For a moment Tess looked absolutely stunned. Then a sob escaped her and she reached for Loki, very nearly throwing herself off the bed in her attempt to hug him. Loki caught her easily enough and he pulled her small eleven year old frame onto his lap and hugged her as she seemed to need from him. She curled up against him and got a tight grip on his shirt with both hands and she just stayed there weeping, a wreck of raw emotion. 

“You really won't leave me?” she asked between her sobs. 

“I won't. I swear it.” Loki told her. 

“And you won't make me leave?” she asked again. 

“Never.” 

“And when I can't control my magic, no one will hurt me anymore?” the girl asked, still sobbing. 

“Tess, I will never stand by and let anyone hurt you but more than that, I will teach you how to use your magic so you never need to fear losing control again.” 

“And I won't be hungry?” 

“I am a prince. I have plenty of food to share.” he told her. 

“Aunt Heidi did too, she just didn't let me eat it sometimes.” 

“I will always let you eat,” Loki said, willing to give her whatever reassurance she needed. “Did your Aunt hurt you too or was she just a cruel person?” 

“You mean did she beat me? No. She was just a bitch. She never got along with my mom and was pissed that she didn't get any life insurance when my mom died. She thought she would get money if she took me in. The only people who beat me were the gangs, they didn't like it when I turned blue by accident.” 

“There will be no more gangs...and I will do my best to treat you with kindness. All of the terrible things...all those things are in the past now...I won't leave you.” 

Tess clung to Loki for a very long while after that. It was nearly an hour before she had spent all her tears and just sat there resting against him and nearly asleep. Only the fact that her hands were still tightly gripping his shirt made it obvious that she was still awake. 

“You're still injured. You need rest. Perhaps you had best sleep now.” Loki started to move to place her back on the bed. 

“No…” Tess muttered sleepy, all the while clinging more tightly than before. 

“You're not tired?” 

“I am tired. I just don't want to go. I always know when people are lying to me. My powers let me know...but you're not lying. Everyday for as long as I can remember, I didn't know if I would get to eat or if the gangs would beat me up or if my aunt might really throw me out. I knew she wanted me gone. I didn't have any safe places to go and now I do cause you're safe and I don't want to go…” 

“You don’t have to. I have an idea,” Loki got to his feet and carried Tess to the sofa in the room. He placed her on it and then turned on the view screen the entertainment system Banner had set up. He took a seat next to her and covered her with a blanket from the bed. Tess took the hint and went ahead and rested her head on his shoulder. She fell fell asleep only a short time later. 

Loki woke in the morning before Tess did and found that she had wrapped both her arms around his arm that was nearest to her as if to keep him from leaving. He didn’t mind. He reached over with his free hand and rested it on her shoulder to wake her up. Her eyes opened slowly. 

“Daddy…” she breathed the word, still half asleep. 

Loki smiled a little at that. It was strange to be a father so suddenly but he couldn’t say that he disliked it. “It’s time to wake up, little one. They are serving breakfast in the great hall about now and I imagine you are very hungry.” 

“I am,” Tess threw the blanket off and got to her feet. She took three steps in the direction of the bathroom and then cried out with pain. “I forgot…” she stopped movement and hugged her middle. 

Loki went to her and put a hand on her wound, gently allowing his healing magic to ease her pain. She looked up at him gratefully and then went silently to the bathroom once he had removed his hand. 

Loki joined Thor at the head of the table for breakfast. Tess sat next to him. She was definitely hungry. Loki was quite sure he had never seen a child eat so much in so short a period of time. Halfway through his conversation Thor stopped talking and started watching Tess with concern. 

“It seems that her Aunt Heidi didn’t allow her enough food,” Loki explained. “She told me so herself.” 

Thor looked saddened by that but he nodded. “That would explain why she seemed so frail for a human child or for a Jotunn.” 

As the people around them finished their meals they began to carry their trays and dishes to a window at the far end of the room. Tess finished her food while Loki and Thor were still talking. She sat there for a short while making ice crystals in her glass of water, freezing her utensils and other items she touched. Eventually she got up to take her tray to the window like everyone else. She didn’t get far before she tripped over one of her shoelaces and spilled the contents of her tray everywhere with a loud clatter. The fall startled her and when she got to her feet, she had changed to her blue form without meaning to. The clatter of her tray and her blue skin had gotten the attention of most of the room. Everyone was staring at her. 

Loki realized that not only was she terrified at the sudden attention, he could feel her defensive magic building up. It was so powerful that even Thor could feel it. 

“Loki?” His brother asked him concerned. 

Loki got to his feet and went to her where she stood frozen with panic. “Tess?” he reached for her hand and changed his own form as he did so. 

She gasped as she looked at his blue hand holding hers. She gazed up at him in awe. “I’ve never seen anyone else with skin like mine.” 

“I know,” Loki told her. He could only imagine how hard it had been for being the only one of her race for her entire life and feeling that she had to hide it just to stay safe. “But there are thousands of people like us. You’re not alone.” 

Tess glanced around the room at some of the people still watching them. “And they don’t...don’t care that we’re different?” 

“They don’t care,” Loki told her, though he wasn’t entirely sure that the Asgardians didn’t care, only that they tolerated him. 

Thor got up from the table and joined them and put a hand on Loki’s shoulder. “I am sorry brother, that I never considered before today that every day you hide your true form. You look the same as I have always known you to look. If you would prefer your true form, no one here will judge you for it, not either one of you. It does not matter that your biology is of Jotunnheim, you are still Asgardian and you still my family. There is no need to hide anything.” 

Loki was touched by Thor’s words and Tess had started to cry. “Thank You Uncle Thor, but it’s actually very hard for me to change to my blue form on purpose. It only happens by accident when I get scared or angry or if I get very cold.” 

Loki nodded. “The truth is quite similar for me as well. It is an effort in this warm environment to change to this form, but the fact that you would accept it all the same, means a great deal.” 

Loki took Tess back to his room and spent a great deal of time teaching her how to use her magic. She had already mastered manipulating ice but being half Jotunn it would have been strange if she hadn’t mastered it yet at her age. Loki worked on teaching her how to maintain control of her form even in moments of stress. She wasn’t very good at it. That evening she went to sleep on his sofa and he took out a book to read for a while. 

His door buzzer went off and Thor entered his room without waiting for a reply. “How is she?” Thor asked of his sleeping niece. 

“Better today than yesterday at least,” Loki said, closing his book. 

“I take it you have been teaching her to get her magic under control?” 

“I have. Why?” Loki asked. 

“On earth, she put twenty-seven people in the hospital during one incident last year. It was not her fault. A gang threatened her and and she lost control. It would have been justice if not for the fact that eleven of those people were only passing by and not part of the gang at all. SHIELD believed she is dangerous. She can not return to earth unless I can prove that her powers are under control, that was what SHIELD ordered when they released her to me.” 

Loki shook his head, uncaring, “It makes no difference. They were never going to allow me to return to earth either, not after New York. Tess and I will find someplace else to take shelter.” 

“I would prefer if you could join us, but even if you don’t, she could still be a danger on other worlds with people as frail as humans living on them. Will you be able to teach her to control her powers?” 

“And if I can’t?” Loki asked, angry at these questions. 

“Then you may have the ship when we leave it and I hope that you don’t try to settle on any other worlds it until Tess can safely leave the ship.” 

Loki sighed, letting go of his antagonism as best he could. 

“Loki, I know you care for her a great deal. She has only been here one day and you changed into your true form for all to see just to protect her. You haven’t left her side since the moment she arrived. Not only that but she looks at you as if she worships you. If you are like most parents, you will want to give her things you did not have. In the end you will want to give her Jotunheim. Is that not the truth?” Thor asked. 

Loki glanced over at the child sleeping on his sofa. “It’s true,” he said without hesitation. “Jotunheim is rightfully hers as is a place to belong.” 

“If you can teach her to control her magic, I will help you bring her to Jotunheim and take her place as queen,” Thor offered. “But only when she is ready.” 

“You sound like Odin,” Loki said with a smile. “Only if she proves worthy…” 

“Father was very wise,” Thor said. 

“It will take time.” Loki said in response to Thor’s earlier words, “ Mother taught me that in moments of stress I should focus on happy memories to keep my magic under control. I don’t think Tess has many happy memories to use as a focal point.” 

“But she will have them soon enough,” Thor said assuringly. “I am quite sure that what you did for her today will be one of them. It is good for you that she is here and that she admires you as she does...I only hope that…” 

“That I won’t betray her,” Loki finished for him. “I won’t. Not ever. You forget that I was abandoned by Laufey and betrayed by Odin. I know what it is to be hurt by a parent. I could not do that to my own child. I would die first.” 

Thor gazed a Loki for a moment then nodded. “I believe you, brother.” he said and then he took his leave. 

As the doors closed Tess sat up from the sofa and went to where Loki still sat on the bed propped up by pillows. With questions in her eyes she reached out her hand and rested it on his arm. 

“You were awake that entire time?” Loki asked her. 

She nodded. “I can feel things you know? I can feel things that other people feel. My mother was a mutant, she gave her empathy gene to me. I can feel what people are feeling and sometimes I can make other people feel what I’m feeling. Thor doesn’t know that you were telling the truth but I do.” 

Loki didn’t know what to say to that. It had been a long time since anyone trusted him. 

“I know something else too. You’re as scared of being alone as I am.” 

“I wouldn’t say that…” he started to say and then stopped. 

“It’s okay,” Tess said. “I’m not leaving either.” She pushed some of her emotion to him. He could feel her admiration for him. She felt safe and loved and protected with him and nothing at this point could induce her to leave. She loved him. “It’s okay for you to like me. I won’t abandon you. Not ever.” 

Loki swallowed the lump in his throat. “Someday you’ll fall in love and want a life of your own and I’ll have to let you go.” 

She shook her head, “No. I still won’t leave or go far away. I’ll still see you everyday and if I am queen of Jotunheim, you’ll have to be my most important advisor. I won’t leave you.” 

Loki knew she meant every word of what she said. She could very well change her mind when she was older but it meant something to him that she cared enough to say so. He reached over and he hugged her. She climbed up onto the bed and nestled into his hug much as she had done the previous night. Maybe she was too old to hold like this but he hadn’t had the chance when she had been small and Tess clearly didn't seem to mind. He thought for sure she had fallen asleep when she spoke again, proving him wrong. 

“I think this would work,” she said sleepy. 

“What would work?” 

“This moment, as a happy memory to focus on and keep my magic under control. I could use this moment.” 

“Actually, I could use it too,” Loki said freely. 

She sighed and smiled contentedly as she drifted off to sleep.


End file.
